The mountains were a jagged scar on the horizon, a fortress of stone and ice that seemed to mock Lara's every step. Each breath was a puff of white in the brutal cold, a ghost of the fire that burned in her soul. It was Kaen. It was the other half of her, a searing, constant ache that pulled her forward with an urgency that bordered on agony. The connection was a humming wire, tight and vibrating, a silent conversation between their very beings.
You are so close, little flame, a new voice rumbled in Lara's mind, a sound like a distant, powerful thunder. It was Draconia, her dragon, her oldest and most loyal companion. I can feel his fear turning to defiance. The shadow is fighting back.
Lara's steps faltered for a moment, a wave of relief and determination washing over her. "He's okay," she whispered, a silent vow that was more potent than any spell.
Beside her, Eleanor's presence was a quiet, unwavering strength. Her hair, a vibrant crown of fiery red, was pulled back, but a few strands whipped in the wind. Her emerald eyes, sharp and intelligent, were focused on the path. Where Lara was a tempest of raw power and unyielding determination, Eleanor was a still, deep pool—her resolve just as fierce, but channeled with a profound calm.
The other half of you is anchored now, Draconia rumbled. Zade's fury is a protective wall. But there is another… a new one.
Lara felt a new thread in her soul, different from the burning connection to Kaen. It was quiet, steady, and vast, like the deep, silent current of a river. She turned to Eleanor, whose eyes met hers with a knowing gaze. The feeling was coming from her.
I have been speaking with him, Draconia continued, a soft purr in her voice. He is the Silent Wanderer, the dragon Maximus. He is with her, a kindred spirit. A counterpart to Zade. I feel his presence, so close. And… I feel the pull between you and him, a different kind of bond. A quiet power that resonates with yours.
Lara felt a pang of confusion. A connection to a dragon she'd never met, a pull toward the woman beside her that felt like destiny. It was a lot to process. The Twin Flames were no longer a single, unbreakable bond between her and Kaen. It was a nexus of power, a trinity of souls and dragons.
Suddenly, a shift in the air. Not the cold of the mountain, but a colder, more unnatural presence. It was a magical signature that felt like a familiar stranger, a grinding, malevolent power that dwarfed anything the Crimson Oath had ever wielded.
A massive rockfall erupted from the pass, not from a natural tremor, but from a surge of pure malice. The boulders, wreathed in shimmering black energy, came thundering down with impossible speed.
"Stay back!" Lara shouted, raising her hands. A shield of white-hot flame erupted from her palms, meeting the first wave of rocks with a deafening roar. The stone shattered, but the black energy held, reforming and coalescing into grotesque, skeletal hands that reached for them.
"This isn't the Oath's magic," Eleanor said, her voice tight. "This is a wall, a living barrier. They're not just trying to stop us. They're trying to consume us."
Lara poured more power into her shield, the heat of her fire pushing back against the encroaching cold. But the black energy was a parasite, feeding on her warmth, growing stronger with every pulse of her magic.
This is a parent sigil, Draconia's voice was a low growl, filled with ancient fury. The Crimson Oath are only pawns. This magic… this is something old. Something that wants to consume all.
Eleanor reached out, her hand resting lightly on the shield of fire. A soft, incandescent light bled from her fingertips, a different kind of magic entirely. It wasn't raw power; it was pure, uncorrupted energy. The parasite recoiled, hissing as if burned by a holy flame. The two energies merged, a brilliant and beautiful fusion of destructive fire and purifying light. The black energy shrieked, a sound of agony and rage, before disintegrating completely. The mountainside, once a chasm of darkness, was now just silent, unforgiving stone.
Eleanor's eyes fixed on a faint, almost invisible sigil etched into the rock face where the barrier had been. It was a twisted, ancient symbol, its lines fluid and wrong, like something that had been pulled from a nightmare. It wasn't the sigil that bound Kaen, but it was connected to it.
"This is the mark of their master," Eleanor said, the cold truth settling in her voice. "The one who gave them the power to create the Twin Flames. The one who wants Kaen not just as a weapon, but as an heir to a far greater darkness."
Lara stared at the sigil, a cold dread seeping into her heart. The stakes had just been raised. This wasn't a rescue mission anymore. This was a war against an unknown enemy, an entity that saw her and Kaen not as people, but as powerful tools.
"We need to get to him," Lara said, her resolve solidifying into a block of ice. "We need to get to him now."
Eleanor nodded, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. The ache of the connection in Lara's chest was a fierce, joyous thrumming. Kaen felt them. He knew they were coming. The Twin Flames were no longer two separate fires. With Eleanor and the dragons as their anchor, they were a single, unstoppable conflagration. They were coming for the Prince of Shadow, and they would burn the world down to bring him home.